A Few Questions With Comedian Patrick Haye

Anyone who knows me, knows I loooove to laugh. Actually, what I should have written was – anyone who knows me, knows that I love being around people who make me laugh!

So when I was thinking about who I wanted to interview next, I knew I wanted to meet a comedian.

I immediately turned to Twitter (it’s my social media tool of choice these days) to see if I was following any comedians.

Even though I was on a very specific task of locating a comedian, I somehow got sidetracked and zeroed in on a rather handsome fellow (I’m single, can’t help it!). I clicked on his Twitter accountand lucky for me, he turned out to be comedian, Patrick Haye.

After watching a few of his routines online, I realized that he ain’t just a pretty face, y’all – the man has legit comedic skills! Just watch his set on Tiger Woods and you’ll be a believer!

So I reached out to him, and in a matter of days we met up at coffee shop in my hood.

The one thing I loved about chatting with Patrick is that he radiates happiness. Seriously. He had a gigantic smile on his face from the moment we met until the minute the interview ended. Even when I asked him random questions (Read: foolish questions), he still answered them. (psst…when I found out that his background is Jamaican, I had to ask what his fave Jamaican dish was. His answer: Jerk chicken and rice and peas.)

Outside of his obvious winning disposition, I also learned that he spent a year in college studying Interior Design because of his love of architecture. He (un)fortunately ended up hating the program, and subsequently made his way into acting, modelling, and comedy.

I’ve always been a class clown. Probably by grade two I started to act out a little bit with friends – they always seemed to laugh.

In high school I felt like the Fresh Prince. It was amazing! I was friends with everybody, cracked jokes with everybody…even teachers laughed. I had so much fun!

How did you get your start in comedy?

I always knew I was going to grow up and perform…I didn’t know exactly in what capacity. In high school I was all about basketball, but I just knew that somewhere along the way I was going to end up performing.

After high school I did some modeling and some acting, but I still wasn’t seeing that next level of what I want in performance and the question “what if” kept popping up.

I would say to myself, “You been making your friends laugh your whole life, what if you tried comedy?” I started thinking about it a lot. Then I started going to comedy shows. After doing that for a year I signed up for my own amateur night. I jumped on stage, and I didn’t look back.

Was your family supportive of your decision to get into comedy?

I didn’t tell anyone. When I first jumped in…I just jumped in! Then it was a little while into it before I said anything. Then one night I approached my family and I was like, “You know what I’ve been doing at night? I’ve been hitting up stages and making people laugh.” They were surprised at first. When they finally saw me on stage they were like, “Okay, we get it!”

What was your first show like?

Horrifying…..HORRIFYING! (laughs) Nothing great about it. A lot of flat moments.

How do you come up with your jokes?

Sometimes things just pop into your head…an idea…. and you start to work it out on paper. Sometimes it’s a conversation with a friend and something comes up and I’m like, “that’s hilarious!” I also get ideas from people watching. It comes from so many different places.

How often do you do shows?

Since the second week of August, I’ve been getting out to shows pretty much every night. Open mic nights—trying out a bunch of new stuff…..just making sure I’m getting out there. Really pushing it. I want things to step up for me in 2015.

How has your career been so far?

Awesome…..from the moment I touched down. I’ve been with Yuk Yukssince 2010 and they have been awesome for me.

The first few years no one knows who you are. You’re coming up…..building your name. But the last few years have been incredible. Somewhere along the way I got to a certain level where a lot of people know who I am. I managed to squeeze in a couple of festivals, invites to be in shows and tours. I just see it getting bigger and better.

Any upcoming show?

I’ll be at Carlton University (Ottawa) on the September 24th, St. Mary’s Hall, (Blenheim, Ontario) on September 27th, the Rivoli ALTDot Comedy Lounge, Toronto on October 13th. You can find more dates on my website.

Believe it or not, the interview only lasted 20 minutes. Since I was having such an enjoyable time chatting with Patrick, I quickly came up with a few more questions just to ensure that I had enough info for the interview.

Once I obtained the info I needed, we veered off course and started reminiscing about the 90s and the amazing old school music that came out of that era. BTW- I agree with you, Patrick! I miss those days too! Thanks for the interview!